Healthy Lifestyle Choices
This essential daily habit helps regulate mood, improves focus, and supports long-term recovery.
What is getting adequate sleep?
Taking deep breaths is an example of this type of quick, in-the-moment coping technique.
What is grounding?
A trigger is anything that causes this type of emotional response that can lead to old behaviors.
What is a craving or urge?
Anger is a normal emotion, but the goal is to respond with this instead of reacting impulsively.
What is self-control?
This is the first stage of relapse—often happening in thoughts and emotions before behaviors begin.
What is emotional relapse?
Choosing this type of beverage throughout the day helps reduce cravings and improves brain function.
What is water?
This practice involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment.
What is mindfulness?
: Seeing people, places, or things connected to past substance use are types of these triggers.
What are external triggers?
Counting to 10, taking deep breaths, or walking away are examples of this type of strategy.
What is cooling-off or time-out?
Keeping a consistent routine helps prevent relapse by reducing this type of mental state that can lead to cravings.
What is stress or instability?
This general type of diet—rich in whole foods, vegetables, and lean proteins—helps stabilize blood sugar and mood.
What is a balanced diet?
Writing down thoughts and feelings to process emotions is known as this coping tool.
What is journaling?
Stress, boredom, and loneliness are examples of these types of triggers.
→ What are internal triggers?
This technique involves expressing feelings calmly and clearly without aggression.
What is assertive communication?
Setting up your home by removing substances and paraphernalia is called creating this type of space.
What is a sober environment?
This activity releases endorphins, reduces stress, and improves long-term health, even when done for just 20 minutes.
What is physical exercise?
Using supportive people to talk through challenges is an example of this kind of coping resource.
What is a support system?
This skill involves preparing a plan ahead of time for how to respond when a trigger appears.
What is having a coping plan or safety plan?
Recognizing that anger often covers up other emotions like hurt or fear is part of this process.
What is emotional awareness?
Having people you can call when you're struggling is known as this recovery tool.
→ What is a support network?
These two lifestyle changes—avoiding toxic relationships and setting boundaries—are key parts of this broader concept.
What is maintaining a healthy environment?
This cognitive strategy involves identifying negative thinking and replacing it with healthier, realistic thoughts.
What is cognitive reframing?
This term describes awareness of early signals—physical, emotional, or mental—that a trigger is developing.
What is early recognition or self-awareness?
The cycle of anger explains triggers, escalation, crisis, recovery, and this final step of learning new behaviors.
What is the calm or reflection stage?
HALT—Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired—is used to help people identify these early relapse risks.
→ What are vulnerability points?